Mo Volans has been releasing tracks for well over a decade with many of the world's top electronic labels. Having worked with a long list of high profile artists, he has enjoyed top ten success on numerous of occasions. Mo records under the names MoHawk, Twisted Air, and Openair and also writes music for TV and film. Mo is also a prolific writer and journalist writing for publications such as Music Tech, Remix mag and EQ.

After touching on the critical subject of acoustics and room treatment in a few recent tutorials, I felt it was fitting to create a basic guide to acoustically treating your work space. I get asked about this subject a lot so I'm hoping a run down of the essential technique and kit needed will be of some help to readers.
Of course this is an extremely technical subject and this tutorial in no way claims to be the definitive guide to acoustic treatment, but these tips and guidelines should get beginners up and running and generally help to clarify the whole subject of room acoustics.
I'll run through the basics of choosing the right space, positioning your kit and then look at different types of treatment techniques and materials.

After touching on the critical subject of acoustics and room treatment in a few recent tutorials, I felt it was fitting to create a basic guide to acoustically treating your work space. I get asked about this subject a lot so I'm hoping a run down of the essential technique and kit needed will be of some help to readers.
Of course this is an extremely technical subject and this tutorial in no way claims to be the definitive guide to acoustic treatment, but these tips and guidelines should get beginners up and running and generally help to clarify the whole subject of room acoustics.
I'll run through the basics of choosing the right space, positioning your kit and then look at different types of treatment techniques and materials.Read More…

There's no doubt that digital delay is one of the most usable effects in our plug-in collections. Most of us turn to it numerous times during the mixing process to add some space, sparkle and width to our sounds.
There is always a danger that with such a frequently used effect that you can get stuck in a rut, relying on presets and familiar settings. This can lead to similar sounds popping up in every project and things can get a little tired. The trick is to spice things up a bit and think creatively when setting up your delay lines. Using a few tricks and some extra processors, your delay effects can get a breathe of fresh air and really come to life. Here is one possible technique to get you started.

There's no doubt that digital delay is one of the most usable effects in our plug-in collections. Most of us turn to it numerous times during the mixing process to add some space, sparkle and width to our sounds.
There is always a danger that with such a frequently used effect that you can get stuck in a rut, relying on presets and familiar settings. This can lead to similar sounds popping up in every project and things can get a little tired. The trick is to spice things up a bit and think creatively when setting up your delay lines. Using a few tricks and some extra processors, your delay effects can get a breathe of fresh air and really come to life. Here is one possible technique to get you started.Read More…

What is 'translation' and how does it relate to our mixes? A mix that displays good translation will play back well on a number of sound systems, with all its individual elements remaining clear and balanced. In this tutorial, we look at how you can achieve this with your own mixes.

What is 'translation' and how does it relate to our mixes? A mix that displays good translation will play back well on a number of sound systems, with all its individual elements remaining clear and balanced. In this tutorial, we look at how you can achieve this with your own mixes.Read More…

It’s not exactly news that a lot of people see Ableton Live as one of the best pieces of software for live performance. After relying on Live and a laptop for loads of gigs around the globe, I can fully recommend it as a tool capable of delivering the results. The interface is clear and luckily it hasn’t crashed on me yet.
With so many effects to choose from I’ve decided to cover one that has seemed to remain a constant crowd pleaser throughout my live career and that’s the extremely usable ‘Beat repeat’ effect. I’ll walk through how to map its key parameters to a control surface and then show some quick examples of how it can be tweaked with only a few knobs for maximum impact when playing live.

It’s not exactly news that a lot of people see Ableton Live as one of the best pieces of software for live performance. After relying on Live and a laptop for loads of gigs around the globe, I can fully recommend it as a tool capable of delivering the results. The interface is clear and luckily it hasn’t crashed on me yet.
With so many effects to choose from I’ve decided to cover one that has seemed to remain a constant crowd pleaser throughout my live career and that’s the extremely usable ‘Beat repeat’ effect. I’ll walk through how to map its key parameters to a control surface and then show some quick examples of how it can be tweaked with only a few knobs for maximum impact when playing live.Read More…

Whether you are looking to add or remove sub-bass frequencies from your mix, it's essential you're armed with the right tools and techniques. Everything from a simple EQ to multi-band treatments and enhancers can be used, so there are certainly a few routes to choose from here.
If you are in the business of creating club music of any kind, nailing these all important lows is a must. Get it right and your track will rock, leave them unchecked and your mix is in danger of becoming colored and your master distorted and quiet.

Whether you are looking to add or remove sub-bass frequencies from your mix, it's essential you're armed with the right tools and techniques. Everything from a simple EQ to multi-band treatments and enhancers can be used, so there are certainly a few routes to choose from here.
If you are in the business of creating club music of any kind, nailing these all important lows is a must. Get it right and your track will rock, leave them unchecked and your mix is in danger of becoming colored and your master distorted and quiet.Read More…

Even if you are not familiar with the term ‘sample and hold’ it’s pretty likely you have heard one of these effects in action. If you know the classic track ‘Rez’ by Underworld then have most certainly come across the technique, as the entire track is based around a resonant synth line modulated by a sample and hold LFO.

Even if you are not familiar with the term ‘sample and hold’ it’s pretty likely you have heard one of these effects in action. If you know the classic track ‘Rez’ by Underworld then have most certainly come across the technique, as the entire track is based around a resonant synth line modulated by a sample and hold LFO.Read More…

Not long ago, transient designers were only available as hardware processors. Now, a number of DAWs and plug-ins are dragging the technology into the digital domain. With all these new emulations and interpretations of a classic processor becoming available, it's well worth familiarizing yourself with what could become an essential part of your production process.

Not long ago, transient designers were only available as hardware processors. Now, a number of DAWs and plug-ins are dragging the technology into the digital domain. With all these new emulations and interpretations of a classic processor becoming available, it's well worth familiarizing yourself with what could become an essential part of your production process.Read More…

Limiters are possibly the most simple dynamics processors there, with few controls and often simple metering. Saying this, I think it’s possible the humble limiter is often misunderstood, mistaken for a compressor or simply overlooked.
To try and clear things up I thought it might be useful for me to show some examples of different limiters (some from DAWs and some commercial) in action. When it comes down to it, it’s all about using the correct intensity of treatment for the job. It also helps to have a few different flavors of limiter as some will offer features and functions others do not.

Limiters are possibly the most simple dynamics processors there, with few controls and often simple metering. Saying this, I think it’s possible the humble limiter is often misunderstood, mistaken for a compressor or simply overlooked.
To try and clear things up I thought it might be useful for me to show some examples of different limiters (some from DAWs and some commercial) in action. When it comes down to it, it’s all about using the correct intensity of treatment for the job. It also helps to have a few different flavors of limiter as some will offer features and functions others do not.
Read More…

The BV512 Vocoder that is supplied with Reason is a really flexible virtual device capable of some really intelligible classic vocal effects. But it is just as usable when it comes to processing drum loops and musical phrases. Once you get your head around the routing, you can use the BV512 as a robotizer, comb filter and even for EQ. Here’s one way you can make it sing.

The BV512 Vocoder that is supplied with Reason is a really flexible virtual device capable of some really intelligible classic vocal effects. But it is just as usable when it comes to processing drum loops and musical phrases. Once you get your head around the routing, you can use the BV512 as a robotizer, comb filter and even for EQ. Here’s one way you can make it sing.Read More…

In past tutorials I have covered side chaining in Reason and touched on side chaining effects busses in Logic Pro, but after a few emails on the subject, I felt it was about time to cover the slightly less transparent side chaining method that Cubase 4 has adopted since the introduction of the VST3 protocol.
I’ll cover side chaining using gates and compressors for varying effects and results. Obviously this isn’t one for the more seasoned Cubase user but it seems there are still some people out there that are slightly baffled by the process. Hopefully this will clear things up for those concerned.

In past tutorials I have covered side chaining in Reason and touched on side chaining effects busses in Logic Pro, but after a few emails on the subject, I felt it was about time to cover the slightly less transparent side chaining method that Cubase 4 has adopted since the introduction of the VST3 protocol.
I’ll cover side chaining using gates and compressors for varying effects and results. Obviously this isn’t one for the more seasoned Cubase user but it seems there are still some people out there that are slightly baffled by the process. Hopefully this will clear things up for those concerned.Read More…

A short time ago someone asked how to cut up a disco or musical loop and span it across the keys of a sampler, so each slice can be played on a MIDI keyboard. There are numerous ways to achieve this and unfortunately each method is extremely software (or hardware) specific.
In this tutorial I’ll be running though a method that involves using Recycle and the EXS24 sampler in Logic Pro.

A short time ago someone asked how to cut up a disco or musical loop and span it across the keys of a sampler, so each slice can be played on a MIDI keyboard. There are numerous ways to achieve this and unfortunately each method is extremely software (or hardware) specific.
In this tutorial I’ll be running though a method that involves using Recycle and the EXS24 sampler in Logic Pro.Read More…

Following my tutorials on creating a house drum track, making electronic basslines, mixing pad sounds and crashes and FX, we are now ready to start the arrangement of our track.
When constructing a house/dance track that is destined for the dance floor or club, it’s really important to include defined, clear drum intros and outros so that the DJ can easily mix your track into the previous one and the next one in his set.

Following my tutorials on creating a house drum track, making electronic basslines, mixing pad sounds and crashes and FX, we are now ready to start the arrangement of our track.
When constructing a house/dance track that is destined for the dance floor or club, it’s really important to include defined, clear drum intros and outros so that the DJ can easily mix your track into the previous one and the next one in his set.Read More…